Tatiana Walk-Morris reported in yesterday’s New York Times that, “Many tech start-ups are in the business of making themselves successful. But some entrepreneurs have set up businesses with the express mission of training others to be successful in the tech sector.
“Several of those start-ups have dedicated themselves to creating programs, incubators or accelerators to train blacks and Hispanics for tech jobs.
“Their efforts are coming at a time when Silicon Valley has increasingly been scrutinized for its lack of diversity.”
The Times article noted that, “Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that there are more black and Hispanic students graduating with computer science degrees than there are working at tech jobs, despite campus recruitment efforts from companies like Google.
“Founders of these start-ups say tech companies have to try new ways of seeking out talent. With the guiding hand of these programs, many alumni have gone on to secure tech internships and jobs or form their own start-ups.”
Yesterday’s article indicated that, “Many established accelerators and start-up incubators tend to be in regions and cities dominated by existing tech or business firms. For the new entrepreneurs, a key to success is setting up in underserved areas.”
The Times article added that, “Many of these ventures say that to really make a difference, more collaborations with established tech companies are necessary.
“Dominic Liddell, founder of Tech While Black, a Chicago nonprofit organization that provides job and networking opportunities for black designers and developers, said he still faced an uphill battle in reaching out. The group has secured GitHub, Code Climate and other software companies for sponsors, but he has hired a business development manager to build more relationships. The nonprofit was founded in 2014 and has helped more than 1,300 members through workshops and meet-ups.”